Mexican Congressman Fernando Belaunzarán [center] will present a new marijuana bill to his country’s parliament on Thursday. He hopes that the marijuana referendums in Washington and Colorado will encourage his peers to take a new stance on drug policy.
(Photo: Fernando Belaunzaran/Facebook)

Mexican Congressman Fernando Belaunzarán, in his formal suit and proper tie, doesn’t strike people as the kind of person who supports marijuana legalization. The truth is, he doesn’t just support it, he’s a hardcore champion of it.

On Thursday Belaunzaran will present Mexico’s Congress with a bill that would legalize the sale of marijuana - for recreational and health purposes - through distributors that obtain government permits. The proposal would also allow each Mexican citizen to grow up to five plants for personal consumption.

“The context has never been as favorable to rethink our drug strategy,” Balaunzaran told ABC/Univision. “We really should bet on a responsible use of private liberty instead of going on with repression.”

[…]

I almost closed the article with a big sigh of ‘fat chance’, but the last paragraph caught my eye:

Congressman Belaunzarán is well aware that his bill might not make it through parliamentary debate. However, he still thinks the problem should be put to discussion again and again in Mexico and in Latin America. “Mexico must be part of this change of paradigm, with serious arguments, based on science” he said.

Emphasis added, because I believe that policy should be based on science all the time. Being anti-abortion ignores the science of conception and contraception, for instance. Climate change is the most obvious example of science being needed in policy decisions.

This issue really is a three country issue. Mexico and Canada (being arguably more liberal on the issue) can not really move forward with steps to legalize, license and tax Marijuana without the US coming along on the issue. The mess legalization within either Mexico or Canada would cause at the border would be massive so it is really a none starter until there are clear signs that the US is moving toward legalization.
If the Libertarian argument could be brought to this debate in the US (as well as the taxation opportunities) then maybe we would be moving forward. What you put into your body should be your business, if you want to have someone supply you with that something then the government has the responsibility to regulate and tax it.
Treat it like cigarettes and tax it in a similar fashion. The major tobacco companies will be all over that as they will view it as a new review stream in a market that is likely dying off on them. Once these big players are in the game, the criminal organizations will loss all motive to try and continue to get around any new legal frame work, as it will be far easier for "Punk Slacker" to make his way down to the Kwik-E-Mart and pay $5 for his pot (and other supplies) then it would be to pay $4 to the illegal dealer that he has to go out and find.

Damn right , good pot at fair prices .Upside ? No DEA in my rear view mirror , War on drugs ,was lost a long time ago . It will also provide more hotel rooms for VIOLENT criminals . Jailing potheads and dealers is costing millions , DUI -with serious injury get a second chance , DUI -no injury get many chances until someone is killed . Time to smarten'up

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